A recent study concludes that acupuncture is effective for the treatment of withdrawal symptoms and anxiety associated with heroin addiction. The research was conducted on 60 males suffering from heroin withdrawal. A control group was compared with two acupuncture treatment groups. Group one received acupuncture at acupoint HT7 (Shenmen) and group two received acupuncture at acupoint P6 (Neiguan). The use of both points proved effective in the treatment of heroin addiction related withdrawal symptoms.
Acupuncture for RecoveryIn other recent research, researchers studying cocaine addicted lab rats discovered that acupuncture at acupoint HT7 (Shenmen) had a “markedly reduced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking” with an 86.5 percent successful inhibition rate. Interest in acupuncture for the promotion of addiction recovery was renewed 12 years ago when Yale University researchers concluded that auricular acupuncture was effective for the treatment of cocaine addiction. The results of the human-subject controlled study demonstrated that the acupuncture group tested 54.8 percent free of cocaine while the two control groups were 23.5 percent and 9.1 percent free of cocaine following treatment. Moreover, the acupuncture group demonstrated a lower recidivism rate.
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References:
Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science. Volume 10, Number 3 (2012), 155-159, DOI: 10.1007/s11726-012-0593-x. Therapeutic efficacy observation on acupuncture for post-withdrawal syndrome of heroin dependence. Yan Liang, Lei Zong, Yu Li, Bo Cheng, Jing Xu and Yue-lai Chen.
Psychopharmacology. 2012, DOI: 10.1007/s00213-012-2683-3. Effects of acupuncture on stress-induced relapse to cocaine-seeking in rats. Seong Shoon Yoon, Eun Jin Yang, Bong Hyo Lee, Eun Young Jang, Hee Young Kim, Sun-Mi Choi, Scott C. Steffensen and Chae Ha Yang.
Arch Intern Med. 2000;160(15):2305-2312. doi:10.1001/archinte.160.15.2305. Randomized Controlled Trial of Auricular Acupuncture for Cocaine Dependence. S. Kelly Avants, PhD; Arthur Margolin, PhD; Theodore R. Holford, PhD; Thomas R. Kosten, MD. Yale University School of Medicine and Department of Psychiatry, Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare Center (Dr Kosten), New Haven, Connecticut.
